Season Tickets

[MrMustang1965]

Got a nice letter from head football Coach Phil Bennett in the mail today. Dated February 6, 2003. Here's what it had to say:

Dear Season Ticket Holder:

I want to take this opportunity to personally thank you for the support that you give to our program as a season ticket holder for SMU Mustang Football. I can promise you that our coaches and players are working hard to give you a winning football team that plays hard and demonstrates effort and determination on every play.

Yesterday, we signed a group of players that is going to help us achieve our goal of building a program that wins championships. I am sure thta you will see from the enclosed information on our new recruits why we are so excited about this recruiting class and the future of SMU Football.

This season, we will need your support more than ever. Our home schedule feature four teams that not only participated in bowl games this past season, but also won their bowl games against some the nation's top teams. We kick off our home slate on September 20 against Oklahoma State, winner of the Houston Bowl and one of the Big 12's rising programs. The rest of our home schedule feature games against TCU (Liberty Bowl Champ), WAC Champion Boise State (Humanitarian Bowl Champ), Fresno State (Silicon Valley Bowl Champ), Rice and UTEP.

Tickets for individual games will not go on sale until August, so I encourage you to renew your season tickets now and continue to be an integral component of Mustang Football. Season tickets are still $150 for sideline reserved and $90 for end zone seating. Individual ticket prices have been adjusted so that your season ticket purchase will give you a savings of $34 if you were to buy all six home games on an individual basis. The intent is to reward our loyal season ticket holders, such as yourself, so we sincerely hope that you will renew today.

In an effort to make renewing you season tickets easier than ever, you now have the option to renew online. Go to <A HREF="http://www.smumustangs.com" TARGET=_blank>www.smumustangs.com</A> and click on the "Tickets" link. Once you have done that, click "Season Renewals" and follow the instructions. Please remember that the deadline for renewals is April 30. After that date, season tickets will go on sale to the public and all seating change requests will be reviewed.

I would also like to take this opportunity to invite you to attend our annual "Red & Blue" Scrimmage game on Saturday, April 12 at 2 p.m. in Ford Stadium. We are planning a Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Day so that we can have the opportunity to say "thank you" for all that you do to support our program.

GO MUSTANGS!

Phil Bennett
Head Football Coach

There was an insert with the names of the 2003 recruiting class, too. Oh, yeah...the season parking pass will cost $48.

Now here's a suggestion for the SMU marketing folks: a percentage of the tickets that are left over for each game should be distributed FREE to church groups, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, or any youth organization where you can get YOUNG PEOPLE in the seats at FORD STADIUM!

I remember attending a few games in the early 70s at the Cotton Bowl FREE when SMU would distribute tickets to our Methodist Youth Fellowship and to other churches throughout Dallas & Ft. Worth. The end zones were PACKED with young people! And many of them later attended SMU or grew to love the SMU Mustangs football program!

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[This message has been edited by MrMustang1965 (edited 02-11-2003).]

[This message has been edited by MrMustang1965 (edited 02-11-2003).]

[Mustangs35SMU]

Havent Gotten our letter yet Cant Wait To!!! GO MUSTANGS!

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The Red and Blue Is Back! God Bless SMU Football!

[PonyFan]

I like MM65's idea about church groups, Boys & Girls Clubs, scouts, school organizations, but the two areas I'd also like to see get some tickets are youth football teams and high school bands. I love the idea that's been thrown around here before: invite a couple of high school bands to come over a couple of days during the week prior to the game and have them rehearse a few songs with the Mustang Band. Invite them to perform (will certainly look/sound like a bigger band) at the game — they get in free, friends and family have to buy tickets. Bring them back a few times, having them sit with the SMU Band members, and presto, you have a Mustang fan in the making. And maybe a future member of the Band.

Also, if you can get youth teams to come to a game, let them meet the Mustangs before the game. Case in point: Remember Boo Bowers? Neither does anyone else. When I visited a friend in the suburban Washington, D.C. area 15 or 20 years ago, his father took us to see American University play a basketball game. Not exactly a national power, or a well-known factory for household names. But my friend's dad was a professor at AmericanU, and he got us in to the locker room, where we met Boo. He was a good player, but meeting him for just a couple of minutes. To this day, I check every now and then to see how AmericanU is doing, and whenever I get sent up there for business, I always try to go to a game. I really almost consider myself an AmericanU fan, even though I don't know a single current player or coach, or what conference they're in, etc. Young people who meet college athletes and have a good experience when them will remember that athlete fondly.

[Rambo]

They have been doing that for years. The community relations department gives away tickets to any youth group that will take them. Back when I was in school, I interned for the department and made calls all the time to youth football leagues and church groups. They are trying this, I promise. It's not always clear why the groups don't come, sometimes they jsut don't.

[This message has been edited by Rambo (edited 02-11-2003).]

[MrMustang1965]

PonyFan: I LOVE your idea about high school bands, too! EXCELLENT IDEA! And you are right...once you're 'hooked' on a team because you've either met a player or a coach, it stays with you!

Rambo: someone needs to find out the reason that the groups who get these tickets don't use 'em! There's NO REASON why Ford Stadium can't be filled up with cheering young fans every home game!

IS ANYONE IN THE SMU MARKETING DEPARTMENT READING THIS THREAD????

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[cowboypony]

Mr. Mustang65 and Ponyfan,

PLease see my post from yesterday under the Basketball Board about church groups, and particularly Methodist youth groups. Yes, back in the 70s and 80s we used to go all the time to see SMU games through our church. With any church group, comes parents, friends, etc. These people spend money on food, souveniers, etc. I'm not going to imply that this in any way addresses our attendance issues; but, it is something that is guaranteed to get butts in the seats. We should never have unsold tickets just being thrown in the trash can.

There are, in my opinion, some very simple and inexpensive ways to boost attendance. NO, this suggestion is not the "fix" but it sure gets people in the stands and exoposes more and more people to SMU.

[cowboypony]

Rambo, please elaborate on your comments that they athletic department is trying to give away these tickets to youth groups. If this is true, why do the 2 youth directors at my Methodist Church (a very large one) say they NEVER hear from SMU! Perhaps we should look a little further in the way they are "trying" to give away these tickets.

I also agree with the previous post that says young people often get "hooked" on a team by attending one game, meeting a player, etc. The key is getting them to SMU to start with. I will NOT be convinced we are catering our efforts to our market.

[Bergermeister]

Amen, cowpony.

[MrMustang1965]

Someone pinch me! I must be dreaming! Bergermeister FINALLY agrees with me on something!

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[Mustangs35SMU]

.::Pinches MrMustangs::. Your Welcome!

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The Red and Blue Is Back! God Bless SMU Football!

[MrMustang1965]

Get that grin off of your face, Mustangs35SMU! I think you got too much enjoyment from that!

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!